mubarak. france today declared success in its three-week military operation to rout islamist rebels in mali. malian forces liberated the towns of gao and timbuktu this week, and french troops now have occupied the airport at a third key city-- kidal. in paris today, the french defense minister said his government is open to having u.n. peacekeepers take over, with french support. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to jeff. >> brown: and we turn to two stories about conflict in the middle east. as the battle in syria between president bashar al-assad's forces and the free syrian army or f.s.a. rages on, thousands of refugees flood into neighboring countries. jonathan miller of "independent television news" takes us to a secret crossing point on the border with jordan on the outskirts of the syrian city of da'-raa. >> reporter: katiba jaber is a lonely place, exposed to desert winds that chill you to the bone. the border guard is ready for what the night will bring. ( gunfire )